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Hall of Fame trip

COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. _ The scorecard has been delivered!

At approximately 12:30 this afternoon, I handed over my scorecard of the no-hitter thrown by Red Sox rookie pitcher Clay Buchholz against the Baltimore Orioles last Saturday at Fenway Park. It will be on display soon at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in a wing named “This Year in Baseball” and will feature Buchholz’s game-worn hat and a game ball provided by the Red Sox.

Jeff Idelson, the Hall’s vice president of communications and education, met my wife and I and took us on a quick tour, showing us where the exhibit will be. Idelson and his staff were great, friendly and the hospitality was second to none.

They even held a parade for our arrival. Well, not really. It just so happens to be the Bicentennial of Cooperstown and the village began its week-long celebration on Friday. If you’re a baseball fan, even if you’re not, this is a great place to spend a few days with family and friends.

Idelson took us to his office where he unpacked a box sent from Boston with Buchholz’s hat, game ball, along with the spikes Red Sox reliever Mike Timlin wore for his 1,000th appearance. I didn’t want to tear the two pages out of my scorebook because with my luck they would have ripped one of them, so I let Jeff do the dirty work.

He said he felt like he was performing surgery as he carefully removed the pages. When the display is finally in place, I’m planning a return trip. I just want to make it clear that the Hall didn’t come looking for my scorecard specifically. Brad Horn, communications director for the Hall of Fame, contacted Jeff Horrigan of the Boston Herald, looking for scorecard, his, mine, didn’t matter. I just happened to be in the right place at the right time.

Still, it’s an honor to be a part of something special where baseball fans can enjoy a little piece of history.

--Joe McDonald

Posted by Joe McDonald  at 3:13 PM | Permalink